legitimate

[ adjective, noun li-jit-uh-mit; verb li-jit-uh-meyt ]

/ adjective, noun lɪˈdʒɪt ə mɪt; verb lɪˈdʒɪt əˌmeɪt /

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See synonyms for: legitimate / legitimated / legitimates / legitimating on Thesaurus.com

adjective

according to law; lawful: the property's legitimate owner.

in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards.

born in wedlock or of legally married parents: legitimate children.

in accordance with the laws of reasoning; logically inferable; logical: a legitimate conclusion.

resting on or ruling by the principle of hereditary right: a legitimate sovereign.

not spurious or unjustified; genuine: It was a legitimate complaint.

of the normal or regular type or kind.

Theater. of or relating to professionally produced stage plays, as distinguished from burlesque, vaudeville, television, motion pictures, etc.: an actor in the legitimate theater.

verb (used with object), le·git·i·mat·ed, le·git·i·mat·ing.

to make lawful or legal; pronounce or state as lawful: Parliament legitimated his accession to the throne.

to establish as lawfully born: His bastard children were afterward legitimated by law.

to show or declare to be legitimate or proper: He was under obligation to legitimate his commission.

to justify; sanction or authorize: His behavior was legitimated by custom.

noun

the legitimate, the legitimate theater or drama.

a person who is established as being legitimate.

OTHER WORDS FOR legitimate

1 legal, licit.

2 sanctioned.

4 valid.

9 legalize.

See synonyms for legitimate on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR legitimate

1 illegitimate.

See antonyms for legitimate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of legitimate

First recorded in 1485–95, legitimate is from the Medieval Latin word lēgitimātus (past participle of lēgitimāre to make lawful). See legitim, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM legitimate

le·git·i·mate·ly, adverble·git·i·mate·ness, nounle·git·i·ma·tion, nounde·le·git·i·mate, verb (used with object), de·le·git·i·mat·ed, de·le·git·i·mat·ing.

de·le·git·i·ma·tion, nounnon·le·git·i·mate, adjectivepost·le·git·i·ma·tion, nounqua·si-le·git·i·mate, adjectivequa·si-le·git·i·mate·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH legitimate

legitimate , legitimize

Words nearby legitimate

legislature, legist, legit, legitim, legitimacy, legitimate, legitimate government, legitimist, legitimize, leglen, legless

How to use legitimate in a sentence

According to Roman Sannikov, a Russia specialist with cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, the high volume of legitimate cryptocurrency use in Eastern Europe is a legacy of the Soviet Union and its collapse.
Eastern Europe leads the world in cryptocurrency adoption—legal and otherwise|dzanemorris|September 14, 2020|Fortune
Turkey argues that Hamas — which won the last election in 2006 — is the legitimate representative of the people of Gaza.
Erdogan Pitches Himself as Muslim World’s New Leader|Charu Kasturi|September 10, 2020|Ozy
In addition to pinpointing medically legitimate reasons to make CRISPR babies, the panelists also called for an international body to oversee the work.
The “staged rollout” of gene-modified babies could start with sickle-cell disease|Amy Nordrum|September 3, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Not if people are just trying to knock you, but if they’re trying to be substantive, serious, legitimate.
Full Transcript: Tomi Lahren on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 31, 2020|Ozy

Urban was partially inspired by Andrej Karpathy, who a few years ago trained a neural network to generate mathematical-looking nonsense that looked legitimate to nonexperts.
How Close Are Computers to Automating Mathematical Reasoning?|Stephen Ornes|August 27, 2020|Quanta Magazine
There are limits to the painting of banditry and extortion as the legitimate raising of taxes.
ISIS’s Futile Quest to Go Legit|Jamie Dettmer|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In 2012, as a 10th grader, Lean says he recorded his first legitimate song, “Hurt.”
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was courteous, explained the legitimate reason we were briefly pulled over, and then let us continue on our way.
Obama Is Right on Race. The Media Is Wrong.|Keli Goff|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Turkey, crime groups in border areas are exploiting the labor of Syrian male refugees who cannot find legitimate employment.
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism|Louise I. Shelley|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are legitimate criticisms of the study, but not because it includes “attempted forced kissing,” as Lowry suggested.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7|PunditFact.com|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I didn't much like his offhand way of asking; not that it wasn't a perfectly legitimate query.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Education is the cultivation of a just and legitimate familiarity betwixt the mind and things.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Education is a just and legitimate familiarity betwixt the mind and things.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
This people worked, through legitimate channels, to advance its ideal, inspired by the purest loyalty to Spain.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
In spite of this acknowledged defect, many of the best players in this country regard it as a legitimate and helpful device.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for legitimate

legitimate

adjective (lɪˈdʒɪtɪmɪt)

born in lawful wedlock; enjoying full filial rights

conforming to established standards of usage, behaviour, etc

based on correct or acceptable principles of reasoning

reasonable, sensible, or valida legitimate question

authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law

of, relating to, or ruling by hereditary righta legitimate monarch

of or relating to a body of famous long-established plays as distinct from films, television, vaudeville, etcthe legitimate theatre

verb (lɪˈdʒɪtɪˌmeɪt)

(tr) to make, pronounce, or show to be legitimate

Derived forms of legitimate

legitimacy or legitimateness, nounlegitimately, adverblegitimation, noun

Word Origin for legitimate

C15: from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus made legal, from lēx law

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

legitimate

OTHER WORDS FOR legitimate

OPPOSITES FOR legitimate

Origin of legitimate

OTHER WORDS FROM legitimate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH legitimate

Words nearby legitimate

Words related to legitimate

How to use legitimate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for legitimate

Derived forms of legitimate

Word Origin for legitimate